First snow this year falls on Jade Mountain, Hehuanshan

Taipei, The first snow of the winter season fell on Jade Mountain and Hehuanshan on Sunday and Monday as a cold air mass moved over Taiwan.

On Jade Mountain, which stands at 3,952 meters and is Taiwan's highest peak, 0.9 centimeters of snow fell early Monday after the temperature dropped to minus 4 degrees Celsius. The snowfall started around 4:20 a.m. and lasted for about 15 minutes.

The sub-zero temperatures had already hit Hehuanshan the previous day, bringing sleet early in the morning and snow at around 11 p.m. as the mercury dropped.

It was the first snow of the year in Taiwan, and local police have been asking drivers to ensure that they use snow chains on their vehicles if they are traveling between Hehuanshan tourist center and Wuling Peak.

Meanwhile, temperatures across Taiwan are expected to rise during the day Monday, according to weather forecaster Daniel Wu (???), who also warned that the mercury might drop sharply again by nightfall.

The cold air mass is expected to start weakening Tuesday, after which temperatures will rise until another front comes in Friday, forecasters said.

In coastal areas of northern Taiwan, temperatures are likely to drop to around 10 degrees between Friday night and Saturday, according to forecasters.

They also predicted that another cold air mass will arrive around Jan. 23, bringing temperatures of below 12 degrees in Taipei.